You see, in the great state of North Carolina my governor has this little stock car racing habit. About a year and a half ago he decided to take a Hendricks NASCAR vehicle for a spin to raise money for an education program. He crashed, but he walked away with no injuries.
I gave him a pass on that one. Hey; it was probably a life-long dream, like most white North Carolinians. You really can't blame him. Besides; it was on a track, the walls were padded, and he was in a security device. He wasn't in too much danger at the time, although tried his best to destroy the car.
But then he does this on Tuesday night:
As part of a publicity event, Easley climbed into the blue Lowe's No. 48 Monte Carlo at the governor's mansion, gave a thumbs up, then blasted out of the driveway.Excuse me for a minute folks, but I need to holla at Mike for a second....
Easley promptly lost control of the car, ending up askew against a curb on Lane Street. He missed striking a silver Mercedes sedan and a utility pole by mere inches.
No one was hurt, including Easley, who wasn't wearing a helmet.
Look Mike, you're an okay guy. I mean, you're a Democrat, yet I voted for you to be reelected. I'll give you your props; that game you ran on Ballentine? PURE GENIUS. You had the state believing HE was the liberal candidate in the race. Shoot, I would have voted for you just FOR that stunt alone.
But let's get something straight. When you get into a NASCAR vehicle, you're not some hillbilly from Lizard Lick fulfilling a life-long dream, you're the
GOVERNOR OF OUR STATE!!!
And it doesn't have anything to do with people whispering about our redneck governor; frankly I could care less about that. The problem I have with this is, I don't want to check the Internet, or be listening to WPTF, or check N&O's website and see "'Days of Thunder' Wannabe Governor Kills Himself in Car Crash Going 200 mph".
I don't feel like reading 20 obituaries. I don't feel like seeing CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC doing 24-hour coverage from the Governor's mansion. I don't feel like watching a state funeral. I'm sure a lot of people would like for our governor to live. That's all I'm askin. Bev Perdue can wait a few years before she ascends to the Democratic throne.
I'm not saying don't get into a race car at all. You can get in one, look around, and maybe take a cruise around the block or something. But that "cruise" shouldn't extend to no more than 60 mph, especially when you're speeding down the street from the mansion. If you can't do that, then by all means wait three years. North Carolina deserves a governor that's not in a full body cast.
UPDATE: News & Observer readers, welcome!